UP police declares alert across state after al Qaeda video

Lucknow: An alert has been sounded in Uttar Pradesh after an al Qaeda video appeared in which the terror outfit threatened to carry out campaign in India. “A video of group’s leader Ayman al Zawahiri has been circulating on the internet in which it has been stated that it will increase its activities in India,” IG (law and order) Amrendra Singh Sengar told reporters here. “Taking cognisance of the video, necessary action is being taken at local level and an alert has been sounded in all districts of the state,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_355872” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] The move comes soon after an alert was issued by the Home Ministry to all states and security agencies to take possible precautionary steps as an initial assessment of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) found the video to be genuine. Local agencies are in touch with their sister agencies, Sengar said, adding, “Necessary action is being taken.” Regarding other outfits involved in anti-national activities, Sengar said that advisory has been issued to field formations, including police chiefs, DIGs and IGs. US media and intelligence agencies said today that al Qaeda has established a new branch to wage “jihad” in India, “return the Islamic rule” and impose sharia in the Indian sub-continent. The creation of the group called “Qaedat al-Jihad in the Indian Subcontinent” was announced by As Sahab, al Qaeda’s official media outlet, in a lengthy video posted on social media outlets including You Tube. Al Qaeda is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the group’s leader Ayman al Zawahiri said “Qaedat al-Jihad” would take the fight to India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. PTI